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When Union Planters Bank opened in Indianapolis a few weeks ago, the event signaled more than another new bank for the city. It also marks the first time that women occupy the stately oak-paneled fifth-floor office suites at One Indiana Square downtown.

To sweeten the deal, the women who now work in that rarefied atmosphere — Barbara Branic, executive vice president of consumer banking; and Barb Zipperian, senior vice president of finance and administration — spent their entire banking careers at entities that once occupied that skyscraper. Yet neither executive acts impressed with herself over the accomplishment. "Banking is about meeting needs, and women have met people's needs very well over the centuries," says Branic. "And whoever thought banking was boring? This career has been a roller coaster ride."

A graduate of Michigan State University with a retailing major, Branic left that career to raise her children in the mid-'70s while earning an MBA from Indiana University on the side. When daughter Emily was 6 and son Matt was 4, Branic joined Indiana National Bank as a credit analyst, mainly because banks were the only employers willing to hire finance majors during the economic recession of spring 1983.

Branic's willingness to learn saw her through five bank name changes on her business cards — INB, NBD, First Chicago NBD, Bank One and Union Planters Bank — as well as positions of increasing accountability in the commercial loan, corporate sales and branch banks divisions. She jokes that it took her exactly four seconds to accept her most recent promotion, from corporate loan manager at Bank One to the head of Union Planters' consumer banking division. Today, about 300 employees fall under her command. Her responsibilities involve covering products and services for consumers and small business, as well as addressing private banking and residential mortgage needs. "Executive levels are typically open only to people with many years of experience," she says. "Women are just now part of the group that's been around for 15 or so years to be considered."

Zipperian took a bit longer to say yes to her elevated management opportunity. She landed her first job out of Ball State University in INB's accounting department as a staff auditor, and although she juggled motherhood during frenzied schedules, she stayed true to the industry through myriad changes. Today she and husband Ken (also an accountant who works as a controller for Mattingly Corp.) keep track of their sons Phillip, 10, and Jason, 7 while juggling their careers. Zipperian's rewards for this dual dedication to family and career included a series of promotions, culminating in her election to vice president and accounting manager of INB Financial Corp. in 1990.

When her Union Planters ship came in, the Zipperian family was weighing passage on careers that could sail them either to Chicago or to Columbus, Ohio. "The deciding factor was ‘Can I walk away and watch someone else do this job?' — the answer was no," she explains. Today Zipperian supervises 20 people in supporting the bank's internal functions of human resources, property management, security issues, finance and public relations.

Both women's introduction to the banking industry this last decade, however, wasn't entirely optimistic. In both their experiences, bankers were men outfitted in dark suits, white shirts and conservative neckties. Officer meetings meant black-tie affairs at the convention center — without spouses, of course — followed by a few hands of cards and a drink at a nearby lounge. Women who rose above middle management were a rarity, mainly because they either left for other industries' greater opportunities or left the workforce altogether to raise families. "I felt very lonely at times," Branic admits. "I remember thinking, ‘I don't know if I can completely change who I am to fit into this place.' Women probably struggle with this more to fit into a male culture, but that's the wrong way to do it. I concluded that if you have management skills, it doesn't matter whether you're male or female — you still need to maintain your personality."

So after much soul-searching, Branic ditched that route altogether, abandoning the male-inspired suits and paisley bow ties to concentrate instead on mastering successful communication styles. Around that time, Branic and Zipperian both found a strong source of help from the least expected place. "I can't say enough good about what the male executives have done to mentor and support me personally," says Zipperian. "I've never felt discriminated against or felt that I wasn't listened to because I was a woman. In fact, if I've ever been treated differently, it was only with respect." Among the incidents crystal-clear in her memory, she remembers a male colleague pulling her aside after a meeting to suggest that she rephrase her remarks in a more positive light. "That was hard for him to say," she recalls. "I could have taken offense, but I saw it only as a compliment. And I used the advice to rise above the habit and set a better example for others."

Likewise, Branic enjoyed high visibility corporate-wide fulfilling internal task force appointments at First Chicago NBD courtesy of the male mentors in her sphere. "I know some were out of their comfort zone mentoring a woman," she says. "But they were willing to step out and give good, solid advice. I've always felt the stereotypes give men a bum rap."

Still these women credit a genderless set of skills with their historic success in Indianapolis, including excellent speaking skills; the ability to quickly assimilate large quantities of information, extract the important aspects and spell those out; the self-confidence to speak an opinion in a group; and the ability to delegate, then let go. "Many women assume that if something is to be done right, they have to do it themselves," says Zipperian. "You can't do that, or you'll go crazy."

She speaks from experience. Union Planters Bank entered the Indianapolis financial services scene when anti-trust laws required the merging First Chicago NBD and Bank One to create new competition in the market. The now-combined powerhouses sold 27 branches — along with their corresponding commercial loan customers and the personnel in those buildings — to Memphis-based Union Planters Bank. But the southern enterprise didn't buy a management team, an operations center or other expected banking services. As such, Branic and Zipperian built their staffs — and essentially the guts of the bank — from the ground up, knowing they had existing customers expecting top-notch service from day one.

They also enjoy an autonomy that enables them to arrange deals with local suppliers rather than lean on preselected national services. "It's not the 12-hour days that wear us down; it's the intensity of this transition," Branic says of the past six months. Zipperian agrees: "We've really worked 24 hours a day because we're waking up in the middle of the night with ideas, dreaming about solutions," she says. "I stand in the shower thinking about challenges I have to conquer that day." To relay their ideas and stay in touch, both executives use cell phones and e-mail extensively.

During such exhaustive work periods, Zipperian admits that the struggle to keep her life in balance peaks. Every evening she dumps her in-basket into a briefcase, focusing on that paperwork after the children go to bed. The week she moved into her plush office, one of her boys became ill. Zipperian took a half-day off to stay home and transferred house duty to her husband for the afternoon. Such an arrangement fits her needs of work and home — and also keeps her priorities in order, she says.

Branic applies the same thinking to her management philosophy. "As women, we're comfortable looking at all the options," she says. "As a manager, I draw the line only when employees abuse the difference between working something out and not working at all."

However, no gender differences or advantages replace the need for a supportive spouse along the executive journey. For instance, Zipperian recognizes the fine line between help and support. "Your spouse can pick up the kids when you work late, take them to their activities while you attend meetings, or make sure they do homework when you're out of town," she says. "But you still can't come home tired after a bad day full of decision-making to hear him ask, ‘What are you fixing for dinner?' Ken understands when I don't want to make any more decisions. And you need that support in the tough times."

Branic's spouse, Mike, serves as president of Clarklift of Indiana (a material-handling firm), which can compound the tension on the home front. "We have to act as a team, regardless of whether the issue is child-raising, financial decisions or career bumps," she says. "There are times when you must work 90 hours a week, and there are times you don't. Sometimes one of us leaves work in a great mood, and sometimes we arrive home just to lick our wounds. Either way, the other partner has to be in the moment with you, listening rather than jumping in to tell you what to do."

This approach helps not only with managing life at home, but also in making the most of their current situation and maximizing the community bank mindset they now find themselves exploring. And neither woman shudders at the thought of future mergers: Instead, they look for a position that benefits anyone in virtually any situation, professional or personal. "You can't insulate yourself from change," says Branic. "You can only learn from it."

 

SIDEBAR: How to Make Tracks in Your Career

Regardless of the field and its gender balance, women should use the same tools to reach executive levels, say Barbara Branic, executive vice president of consumer banking; and Barb Zipperian, senior vice president of finance and administration at the new Union Planters Bank. Here they detail their steps to success:

1. Perform your job responsibilities well. It goes without saying that excellence begins with your next task.

2. Knock the chip off your shoulder. "Everyone, regardless of gender, is asked to do grunt work once in a while," Branic says. When faced with routine, mundane tasks, she suggests figuring out a better way to accomplish them. "The name of the game is to be indispensable," she says.

3. Be a doer. When you encounter new opportunities to get involved with corporate responsibilities outside your job category, seize them. This strategy reaps two benefits: It fills your plate before the grunge work does, and it allows you to expand your horizons and networking possibilities. (Think of it as an inexpensive college course in new skills, too.) However, be sure to pull your weight during these new learning experiences: Anything less than your best defeats that indispensable goal, Branic says.

4. Practice communicating the right way. When contributing in a group, don't hesitate to speak up and sound authoritative — but avoid earning the cocky label as well. Zipperian learned to navigate these tricky waters during a Dale Carnegie course on effective speaking and human relations in 1990. Since that instruction, she has consciously honed her ability to remember names, engage in chit-chat, speak clearly in impromptu moments and convey enthusiasm. She recommends that all business execs read Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.

5. Practice problem-solving. It's a given: If you think, you'll constantly uncover problems, Branic says. But don't take those half-baked thoughts to your supervisor. Instead, present the problem with possible solutions — the package becomes a welcome present on the boss' desk.

6. Admit you aren't a know-it-all. The biggest learning curve Branic learned to drive appeared during her days as a loan officer. "Customers expect an experienced loan officer, but when you're new in that position, you can't offer that," she says. By swallowing her pride and admitting that she would have to investigate an issue further, she established a solid reputation in each successive position.

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